Zinedine Zidane, the best football player in the world Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane, (often incorrectly spelled ZinÃ©dine, Arabic: زين الدين زيدان‎ transliteration: Zīn ad-Dīn Zīdān), (born June 23, 1972), popularly nicknamed Zizou, is a former French football player of Kabyle Algerian descent who starred for both the French national team and for four club teams, most recently Real Madrid. Zidane is often considered to be the best footballer of his generation and one of the greatest of all time. A midfielder, his elegant dribbling, balance, passing ability, shot accuracy, shot selection, and well-placed free kicks have made him one of the game's finest players and the natural successor of Michel Platini as France's top playmaker. His precise control over the flow of the game and his ability to hold and protect the ball remain highly regarded. Zidane received international attention with his two headed goals in the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil that essentially won his country's first ever title.

He has been elected FIFA World Player of the Year three times (1998, 2000, 2003), a record that has only been matched by Ronaldo, and once as European Footballer of the Year (1998). In 2004, Zidane was added to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by PelÃ© as part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. As announced on 25 April 2006, Zidane retired from international football after the 2006 World Cup Final on 09 July 2006. Club Career Zidane was born in Marseille, France and raised in La Castellane, a government-sponsored housing project (citÃ© HLM) in the northern suburbs of Marseille (the "Quartiers Nord"). Though born in Marseille, Zidane has never played for Olympique de Marseille. Zidane got his start in football at an early age, when he joined the US Saint-Henri club. He moved on to Septemes Sports Olympiques after Saint-Henri's coach convinced its director to sign him.

After leaving Septemes at the age of 14, Zidane participated in the first year junior selection for the league championship. He was called in for three days at the sport regional centre in Aix-en-Provence, where Jean Varraud, AS Cannes' recruiter, took notice of the French-Algerian player. Zidane ventured off to Cannes for what was intended to be a six-week stay, but he remained at the club for four years to play with professionals. After spending four years with Bordeaux, he was transferred to Italy's Juventus F.C. for a fee of Â£3 million. In 2001, Zidane was transferred from Juventus to the Spanish club Real Madrid on a four-year contract. The transfer fee was â‚¬66 million, making him the most expensive player in football history. His fellow Galacticos at Madrid included David Beckham, RaÃºl GonzÃ¡lez, LuÃ­s Figo, Ronaldo, and Roberto Carlos. He scored a spectacular winning goal in a 2-1 win over the German team Bayer Leverkusen in the 2001-2002 Champions League Final in Glasgow's Hampden Park.

On 7 May 2006, Zidane played his last home game for Real Madrid at the famous Santiago BernabÃ©u stadium. His team-mates wore special jerseys that had "ZIDANE 2001 - 2006" written on the bottom of the club logo. As expected, the Real Madrid fans gave him a warm reception and kept cheering him throughout the whole game. The opponent team was Villarreal CF and, unfortunately for Zidane, the game ended in a 3-3 draw. He scored the second goal for Real Madrid without any major celebration. After the game, Zidane swapped jerseys with Juan Roman Riquelme, the Villarreal CF and Argentinian midfielder. Zidane was given a massive ovation by spectators, which left him in tears. International Career Zidane holds dual citizenship of both France and Algeria, and therefore could have played for Algeria. However, Algerian national coach Abdelhamid Kermali denied him a position on the team, arguing that the young midfielder was "not fast enough".

Zidane earned his first cap on August 17, 1994, entering at the 63rd minute of a match against the Czech Republic. France was behind 2-0 when Zidane came to the pitch and subsequently scored two goals, which led to a 2-2 final result. Zidane was a member of the French national football team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. During France's second match of the first round, he received a red card and a two-game suspension in a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia for stomping on Saudi Arabia's team captain Fuad Amin. Reports from people close to Zidane state that Amin had provoked him verbally. After scoring in the Penalty shootout against Italy in the Quarter Final, he scored his first and only regular goals during the tournament in the final against Brazil, leading his team to a 3-0 victory, with France winning its first ever World Cup championship. This was also the first time in 20 years that the host country's team had won the tournament. Two years later, Zidane and France won the Euro 2000 championship.

He helped his team reach the final with inspired play and important goals, in quarterfinals against Spain â€” via direct free kick â€” and a golden goal penalty against Portugal in semifinals. Subsequently, his team was ranked the number one team in the world, and it was the first time since West Germany in 1976 that a team held both the World Cup and Euro titles. Injuries prevented Zidane from performing at his best in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. France's attempt at defending their title was spectacularly unsuccessful; the team was eliminated in the first round without scoring a single goal. Zidane rushed back from his injury in time to play in France's last game, but could not perform at his usual level. On August 12, 2004, after France lost in Euro 2004 to the eventual winners, the Greek national football team, Zidane retired from international football. However, after France experienced serious problems in attempting to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Zidane announced on August 3, 2005 that he was coming back to play for France.

He stated on his official website: "I have gone back on my decision, one year after I said it was categorical." On the same day, French teammate midfielder Claude MakÃ©lÃ©lÃ©, who also quit the French team following Euro 2004, said he wanted to come out of international retirement as well, and in the same week, Lilian Thuram made the same announcement. The trio made their competitive return in the 3-0 FIFA World Cup qualifier win against the Faroe Islands on September 3, 2005, and France went on to win their qualifying group. On 25 April 2006, after an injury-plagued season at Real Madrid, Zidane announced that he would retire from professional football following his representing France in the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals to be held in Germany. On May 27, 2006, Zidane earned his 100th cap for France with a 1-0 victory over Mexico at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris.

It was his last match in the stadium and he became only the fourth Frenchman after Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps and Lilian Thuram to earn a hundred national caps. He was substituted early in the second half. 2006 World Cup In the closing minutes of France's second match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, against South Korea, Zidane was given a yellow card for running into a player late. As a result, he was suspended from the third and final match of the group stage. France nonetheless beat Togo 2-0, allowing Zidane to play in the knockout stage. In the Round of 16 match against Spain in Hanover on June 27, 2006, Zidane assisted Patrick Vieira on the second goal by sending a free kick in to the penalty area. During stoppage time, he scored the final goal of the match, leading to a 3-1 victory. The win booked Zidane and France's date with defending champions Brazil in the quarter-finals of the tournament. On 1 July 2006, France beat favoured Brazil 1-0 in Frankfurt.

Zidane provided the free-kick assist on Thierry Henry's winning goal, and was named Man of the Match by FIFA's Technical Study Group. On 5 July 2006, France played against Portugal in Munich for the semi-final. Zidane scored a penalty kick against Ricardo, which turned out to be the only goal of the game and saw France through to the final. 2006 World Cup Final On July 9, 2006, Zidane played his second World Cup final match and scored in the seventh minute from the penalty spot with a chip shot that hit the crossbar before narrowly bouncing behind the goal line. He became one of only four footballers to achieve the feat of scoring in two different World Cup final matches (he scored twice in the 1998 FIFA World Cup final), sharing the honour with PelÃ©, Paul Breitner, and VavÃ¡. This goal also made him one of the top goalscorers in World Cup final matches, with 3 goals, tied for first place with VavÃ¡, Geoff Hurst and PelÃ©.

He almost scored a second goal during the first period of extra time but his header was saved by Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Controversy over violent offence Zinedine Zidane headbutting Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup Final (animated image, video, alternate video, front angle video)Zidane was sent off for violent conduct after headbutting Italy's defender, Marco Materazzi, in the chest in the 110th minute, after exchanging words while walking down the field. The game ended in a 1-1 draw and Italy won the championship after a penalty kick shootout. Regarding the substance of the argument, Zidane's agent Alain Migliaccio said, "[Zidane] told me Materazzi said something very serious to him but he wouldn't tell me what." He also told reporters that Zidane planned to speak out about the incident." Several newspapers have had lipreaders try to interpret what Materazzi said, though they have come up with different interpretations, ranging from racist remarks concerning Zidane and his family, to an inappropriate comment about his wife.

Broad consensus of these analyses is that Materazzi spoke in Italian, a language understood by Zidane, and that he gravely insulted Zidane. According to Milan based La Gazzetta dello Sport, Materazzi admitted that he insulted Zidane, but recounted the incident as follows: "I held his shirt for a few seconds only, then he turned to me and talked to me, jeering. He looked at me with a huge arrogance and said: 'If you really want my shirt, I'll give it to you afterwards'. I replied with an insult, that's true." He stressed that the insults were "the type [...] that we've heard before so many times on the pitch, and sometimes we don't even notice it". Responding to reports that he had called Zidane a "dirty terrorist" or "son of a terrorist whore", Materazzi insisted the insult was not racist in nature: "I did not call him a terrorist. I am not a cultured person and I don't even know what an Islamist terrorist is." He also rejected claims that he had insulted Zidane's mother: "I certainly didn't talk about Zidane's mother because to me the mother is sacred".

Zidane's mother Malika had been taken ill to hospital hours before the World Cup final. Golden Ball award The day following the final, July 10, 2006, Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball for being voted best player in the 2006 World Cup by a poll of journalists covering the tournament. Zidane received 2,012 votes, ahead of Italy's Fabio Cannavaro (1,977 votes) and Andrea Pirlo (715 votes). Although the polling continued until midnight, most votes were cast during half-time, prior to Zidane being sent off. Aftermath of the incident The reaction to the headbutting incident has been mixed. After returning to Paris, the team met with French President Jacques Chirac, who had also attended the game in Berlin. Chirac hailed Zidane as a national hero and proclaimed: "You are a virtuoso, a genius of world football" He added: "You are also a man of heart and conviction. That is why France admires and loves you." Despite the controversy surrounding Zidane's offence, his main sponsors announced that they would stick with him.

Regarding the headbutt itself, an advertising executive stated that the "childish gesture" would give "a more human image of the hero". It would "bring the icon closer to the people". Not all post-game reaction was positive, however. Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira dubbed Zidane a "monster" for his action, while Italian defender Gianluca Zambrotta described the headbutt as a "spiteful gesture." Moreover, some French newspapers condemned the headbutt. Le Figaro called the headbutt "odious" and said Zidane's "unacceptable gesture was sanctioned properly." On the Monday after the final, an editorial in popular sports daily L'Equipe questioned how Zidane could explain his action to "millions of children around the world," comparing him to Muhammad Ali but adding that neither Ali, nor Jesse Owens or Pele "broke the rules the way you did." The newspaper went on to admonish Zidane for failing to console his teammates on the pitch after the loss and said he would have to "explain your gesture to your four sons." On Tuesday, however, the newspaper apologised for Monday's comments.

"If they [my words] hurt you, I apologise," editorialist Claude Droussent wrote on the front-page. Protaganist's comments Materazzi acknowledged he insulted Zidane, who he called his "hero," without giving specifics. "I didn't say anything to him about racism, religion or politics," Materazzi said. "I didn't talk about his mother, either. I lost my mother when I was 15 and even now I still get emotional talking about her." On French television in an interview on Wednesday, Zidane didn't indicate what Materazzi said, but went on to say the insults related to his mother and sister. On July 20 both players will give their explanations during a hearing of the FIFA disciplinary committee.

Zidane repeated the "he felt no regret about his outburst because that would mean (Materazzi) was right to say all that." He concluded with : "My act is unforgivable, but they must also punish the true guilty party, and the guilty party is the one who provokes." Honours With the French national team: FIFA World Cup Spanish Super Cup: 2001, 2003 UEFA Champions League: 2001/2002 Spanish League - La Liga champions: 2002/2003 European Super Cup: 2002 FIFA World Player of the Year: 1998, 2000, 2003 European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or): 1998 UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player: 2001-02 UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll (Best European player of the past 50 years): 2004 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball Award: 2006 Personal Life Zidane's first name is Arabic for "ornament of the faith", while his family name is Arabic for "increases/grows the faith".

His wife, VÃ©ronique Zidane, is a former dancer and model of Spanish origin. They married in 1993 and have four sons named Enzo, Luca, ThÃ©o and Elyaz. Zidane describes himself as a "non-practicing Muslim". Allegations that Zidane's father was a harki, or Algerian supporter of French rule, have been denied by Zidane himself. Trivia The nickname Zizou was given to Zidane when he played for Bordeaux in the mid-1990s. Yaz - for Yazid, his middle name - is another of Zidane's nicknames, given to him by his brothers and used by his family and close friends. When Zidane came back from international retirement, in August 2005, he was reinstated as captain of the French national team, where he wears squad number 10. At Real Madrid he wore squad number 5. In an interview Zidane declared that when he was a teenager, he admired Olympique de Marseille's Uruguayan playmaker Enzo Francescoli (after whom he named his eldest son).

He once was a ballboy at a match with Francescoli and thus saw him up close. He was an Athens 2004 Torchbearer. In 2004, Zinedine Zidane was appointed as "Chevalier" (Knight) of the LÃ©gion d'honneur by French President Jacques Chirac. The first penalty kick Zidane ever missed for France was during his last match in a French stadium, while playing a friendly game against China in Saint-Ã‰tienne, June 7, 2006, the last preparation game for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, where he accidentally slid and placed the ball above the goal. Zidane's first hat-trick was against Espanyol in La Liga 2006 with Real Madrid. The assist for Thierry Henry's goal against Brazil in the 2006 FIFA World Cup quarter-final was Zidane's first in 53 games for his teammate. The game ended 1-0. Zidane scored the only goal of the game, a penalty, in France's semi-final win over Portugal in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

It was the team's eighth consecutive successful spot-kick. Zidane also scored a penalty kick against Portugal in the semi-final of Euro 2000. Zidane shares his birthday with former French teammate Patrick Vieira. Zidane is known to be modest, quiet and admittedly shy. However, Zidane has occasionally shown a quick temper on the pitch. One such display occurred in a 2000/2001 Champions League match between Juventus Turin and Hamburger SV, in which Zidane headbutted Jochen Kientz; he received a red card for this action. He also received a red card and a two-game suspension for stomping on Saudi Arabia's team captain Fuad Amin in the 1998 World Cup, allegedly in response to an insult. In extra time of the 2006 World Cup final, he was sent off for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi. Overall, he was sent off 14 times in his career.

Zidane was not the first player to be sent off in a World Cup final match (three others preceeded him in that), nor was he the first to sent off in two World Cup tournaments (Rigobert Song from Cameroon was the first, in 1998), but Zidane was the first to be sent off during extra time. Zidane was sponsored by LEGO for a while and wore its logo. He was the official endorser of the company's Soccer/Football line, and was also immortalised in plastic in the form of a LEGO minifigure of himself, available in several of the sets. He is also sponsored by adidas, who supply him with Predator football boots and gear. Other sponsorship deals have included Danone, Generali, Orange, Audi, Ford and Christian Dior. During the 2005/2006 season, sponsorship deals like this earned him â‚¬8.6 million, on top of his â‚¬6.4 million Real Madrid salary. Credits : This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License .

It uses material from the Zidane - Player Profile and Biography Zidane part 2 Biography Zinedine Zidane or "Zizou" was a French football player with an incredible ball control. He won the World Cup with France in his homeland in 1998 by scoring two headers against Brazil in the final. He was the playmaker of that succesful French team, that two years later also won euro 2000. He was also successful with his club team, he won the European Cup twice Juventus (1997,1998) and once with Real Madrid in 2002 by scoring an amazing volley goal in the final. Zidane left football with a red card at the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup after he had been head butting Marco Materazzi who had been saying insulting words against him. Zidane was an incredible playmaker, his tactical vision made it possible to organize a team and give brilliant passes to his teammates. Zidane was very skilled, he had an incredible ball control which gave him the ability to keep the ball with him very well.

He also had a great 360 move which he had perfected and use a lot throughout his career. Career "World Soccer" Football of the Year 1998 "World Soccer" Football of the Year 1998 Every year the English magazine World Soccer has its readers select winners for its World Footballer of the Year award. The election is open to any player worldwide. Top 10 1. Zinedine ZIDANE 23 % France Juventus (Ita) 2. Michael OWEN 11 % England Liverpool (Eng) 3. RONALDO Nazario de Lima 9 % Brazil Inter Milan (Ita) 4. Davor SUKER 7 % Croatia Real Madrid (Spa) 5. Dennis BERGKAMP 6 % Holland Arsenal (Eng) 6. Gabriel BATISTUTA 4 % Argentina Fiorentina (Ita) 7. Edgar DAVIDS 4 % Holland Juventus (Ita) Marcelo SALAS 4 % Chile River Plate (Arg) / Lazio (Ita) 9. Lillian THURAM 4 % France Parma AC (Ita) 10.

Jos� Luis CHILAVERT 3 % Paraguay V�lez Sarsfield (Arg) FIFA World Cup's Greatest Ever: Top 15 French Players of All-Time | Bleacher Report FIFA World Cup's Greatest Ever: Top 15 French Players of All-Time By Barney Corkhill , Senior Writer Jun 2, 2010 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories 41.6K Comments After almost a year away, the Greatest Ever series is back! In a special series for the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, I will be looking at the very best players from some of the World Cup's most successful countries. This 28th edition of the Greatest Ever series looks at the top 15 players to have played for the winners of the 1998 World Cup, France. Enjoy! 15. Jean Tigana (1980-88, 52 caps, 1 goal) Narrowly edging the likes of Emmanuel Petit, Bixente Lizarazu, and teammate Alain Giresse onto this list is the gangly midfielder Jean Tigana.

Tigana was a vital part of the "Magic Square" midfield of France in the 80s, alongside Giresse, Luis Fernandez, and Michel Platini . This partnership was a major factor in France winning the European Championships in 1984 and finishing in a respectable third place at the World Cup two years later. 14. Fabien Barthez (1994-2006, 87 caps) Fabien Barthez is a player underrated by many football fans, dismissed as a clown that can only be relied upon to eventually make a mistake. While it is true that he had his moments, what shouldn't be forgotten is his outstanding record as a goalkeeper. Throughout France's victorious 1998 World Cup campaign, Barthez was an integral part of the team, letting in just two goals in the seven matches Les Bleus played. He was given the Yashin award for those performances, as well as being named European Goalkeeper of the Year, an award he would win again in 2000.

No keeper has kept more clean sheets in a World Cup than Barthez, with only Peter Shilton matching his tally of 10, and those came in just 17 appearances at the finals. 13. Claude Makelele (1995-2008, 71 caps) How many times has Claude Makelele been called the unsung hero? Certainly, for France, he wasn't fully appreciated until perhaps too late in his career. Having missed out on his country's finest hour in 1998, and the after-party in 2000, Makelele retired from international football in 2004 with just 33 caps. His performances at club level made everyone realise just how good he was, though, and he was coaxed out of retirement alongside Lilian Thuram and Zinedine Zidane to help France qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Having done that, he helped them to the final before again announcing his retirement, only to be begged back into action to help his country qualify for Euro 2008.

It seemed France couldn't live without him, and his value to the team was there for all to see as Makelele became one of the first names on the team sheet. 12. Marcel Desailly (1993-2004, 116 caps, 3 goals) For a player with 116 caps to his name as well as a World Cup and European Championships winners medal, Desailly could feel hard done by missing out on the top ten, but such is the quality of the players ahead of him that the commanding centre-back only makes it into 12th. Despite getting sent-off in the 1998 World Cup final, Desailly had proved to be an integral part of the side, a role he continued in Euro 2000 to great effect. He was named captain after Didier Deschamps retired from the international scene, leading France to Confederations Cup success in 2001. In 2003, he became the most capped French player of all time, finishing on 116 appearances, a tally since bettered by only Lilian Thuram and Thierry Henry. 11.

Patrick Vieira (1997-2009, 107 caps, 6 goals) Another member of France's golden era, Vieira was a mainstay in the France line-up during his prime. He was a relative newcomer in the 1998 World Cup, but by 2000 he had established himself as a first choice midfielder, helping France to the European Championships. He was also part of the squad in France's victorious 2001 Confederations Cup campaign, and was still putting in top draw performances in 2006, helping Les Bleus to the World Cup final. Despite his experience and leadership, Vieira was left out of the French squad for the upcoming World Cup, surely closing the book on an illustrious international career. 10. Laurent Blanc (1989-2000, 97 caps, 16 goals) We couldn't have Barthez on this list with no Laurent Blanc, who would kiss the goalkeeper's head? Blanc was a towering defender who was still a vital part of the French set-up well into his 30s. Not bad for a man who actually retired in 1994.

Luckily for the French public, Aime Jacquet managed to convince Blanc out of retirement, and set about building a fresh team, using Blanc as one of main cornerstones. It worked. Blanc was instrumental in France's successes in 1998 (scoring the World Cup's first ever golden goal) and 2000, accompanying Marcel Desailly at the back to create a formidable defence. In 2006, he was voted the fourth best French player of all-time by readers of France Football Magazine. 9. Lilian Thuram (1994-2008, 142 caps, 2 goals) It is no coincidence that the most capped player in French history is also one of the best. Thuram was a key member of the golden era of French football, scoring his only two international goals in the 1998 World Cup semi-final. He also played a part in the European Championships in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 (making a record 16 appearances in this tournament in the process), as well as the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

Impressively, he continued to play an active role throughout his time in the international set-up while many were reduced to bit-part roles. He was named man-of-the-match in the 2006 World Cup semi-final, and led his country into Euro 2008 as captain. 8. Didier Deschamps (1989-2000, 103 caps, 4 goals) Didier Deschamps was once referred to as the "water-carrier" by fellow countryman Eric Cantona. While this statement was seen as derogatory, it summed up the job Deschamps had in the team. Win the ball and pass it to the "better" players. It was a job of vital importance too. Deschamps commanded the game so well that he was named captain of the French team for the World Cup in 1998, becoming the first Frenchman to lift that trophy, and the European Championships in 2000. In a team flowing with class, Deschamps did the dirty work better than anyone, allowing the likes of Zinedine Zidane to impose his class on the games. 7.

Eric Cantona (1987-1995, 45 caps, 20 goals) I'm expecting reactions to this placement to go one of two ways: amazement that I have put him so high or shock that I have put him so low. Both sides have valid arguments. This list is mostly about international football, and there are players below Cantona who have done more on the international scene, but it also takes into account the quality of the player involved, and that is where Cantona begins to climb the rankings once more. The stereotypical mercurial Frenchman, Cantona was considered a king at club level but his kung-fu kick halted any repeat of that on the international scene. While his 45 appearances gave the watching world a glimpse of his talent, by the time he had returned from his ban, a young Zinedine Zidane had taken his place. 6.

Jean-Pierre Papin (1986-1995, 54 caps, 30 goals) Jean-Pierre Papin, as with Cantona, was caught in between two golden eras in French football, but with a front two boasting the quality of Papin and Cantona, it is a surprise Les Bleus didn't fare better. In fact, it was without Cantona that Papin enjoyed his greatest success for France, helping them to third place in the 1986 World Cup despite being a relative newcomer to the side. His club record is even better than his international record, finishing as the top scorer in Ligue 1 for five seasons running, and winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or in 1991. 5. Thierry Henry (1997-Present, 119 caps, 51 goals) Thierry Henry's international career will probably always be remembered for that handball to prevent Ireland from reaching this summer's World Cup, but if that is the case it is a great shame, as a truly remarkable career would be forgotten.

With 119 caps, Henry is the second most capped French player in history, with a chance to increase his tally even further in South Africa. He already holds the French goalscoring record with 51, ten goals clear of second place Michel Platini. Henry was part of the both 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning sides as well as helping France to the Confederations Cup trophy in 2003 and the World Cup final in 2006. 4. Just Fontaine (1953-1960, 21 caps, 30 goals) Just Fontaine's tally of 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup is the stuff of legend. It took Gerd Muller , arguably the greatest goalscorer of all time, two World Cups to better it and Ronaldo , another of the finest players to lace up a pair of boots, had to wait four tournaments. To date, those are the only players to have scored more World Cup goals that Fontaine. His performance in '58 may well be the greatest individual World Cup display ever seen, with a four goal haul past defending champions West Germany being the highlight.

He continued this prolific strike-rate during his entire career, as his international goals-to-games ratio shows. As such, he was voted the best French footballer of the past 50 years by the French Football Federation in 2003. 3. Raymond Kopa (1952-1962, 45 caps, 18 goals) Raymond Kopa is the only player to have won both the Young Player of the Tournament and Player of the Tournament awards at two different World Cups, doing so in 1954 and 1958 respectively. The 1958 award is the most impressive, as to win it he had to fight off competition from the likes of Pele , Garrincha , and teammate Just Fontaine. His performances at the World Cup led to him being awarded the Ballon d'Or later that year. Kopa was also among the elite at club level, winning numerous trophies alongside Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas at the all-conquering Real Madrid. 2.

Michel Platini (1976-1987, 76 caps, 41 goals) Say what you like about Michel Platini now, in his prime he was one of the most gifted players to have stepped out onto a football field. His passing, shooting, and dead-ball skills were among the greatest the game has ever seen. These skills helped the French talisman to captain his country to two semi-final appearances at two different World Cups, in 1982 and 1986, but his zenith came at the 1984 European Championships. Platini scored nine goals, including two perfect hat-tricks, and dominated all five games to help Les Bleus to their first international trophy. Individually, Platini was named the Player of the Tournament and the top scorer, showcasing his dominance. The three time Ballon d'Or winner hasn't endeared himself to football fans since his retirement, but one should not forget the mastery of Platini the player. 1.

Zinedine Zidane (1994-2006, 108 caps, 31 goals) What can we say about Zinedine Zidane that hasn't already been said? He was a magician; an artist; class personified. From his two famous headers in the 1998 World Cup final that sent his country into ecstatic delirium to his rather more infamous header in the 2006 final that sent the same country into despair, Zidane has been France's crown jewel. Zidane got his chance in the French side due to Cantona's lengthy ban, and he never looked back. After scoring twice in the 1998 World Cup final to help France beat Brazil 3-0, completely outclassing his rival Ronaldo in the process, he scored the golden goal in the semi-final of Euro 2000, which France went on to win. His absence due to injury in France's opening two matches of the 2002 World Cup proved costly as Les Bleus went out in the group stages, but four years later he was back at his best, producing stellar performances time and time again.

Before the final he was named Player of the Tournament, and he let it be know that this would be his last game in football. He became only the fourth player to score in two different World Cup finals when he put France ahead, but the match will always be remembered for his headbutt on Marco Materazzi that brought a premature end to the career of one the greatest to have played the game...and that's without even mentioning his three World Player of the Year awards. Zinedine Zidane - the greatest French player of all time! To see all the other installments from Barney Corkhill's Greatest Ever series, click here . UEFA Club Footballer of the Year - UEFA Super Cup - News - UEFA.com UEFA Club Footballer of the Year Published: Sunday 1 May 2011, 15.55CET The UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award was handed out 13 times from 1998 until 2010, with no player winning it more than once.

Diego Milito (FC Internazionale Milano) ©Sportsfile Published: Sunday 1 May 2011, 15.55CET UEFA Club Footballer of the Year The UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award was handed out 13 times from 1998 until 2010, with no player winning it more than once. Read more Diego Milito became the 13th and final player to scoop the prestigious UEFA Club Footballer of the Year prize in 2010 – in tandem with the UEFA Club Forward award – on the back of a terrific season in which FC Internazionale Milano dominated in Italy and Europe. He took the accolade from 2009 winner Lionel Messi, with the likes of Ronaldo, David Beckham and Zinédine Zidane among those previously honoured. No player won the award twice, although Internazionale, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid CF and Manchester United FC each had two individual victories.

UEFA Club Footballer of the Year winners 2010: Diego Milito (FC Internazinale Milano) 2009: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC) 2007: Kaká (AC Milan)

Question: Which French footballer was World Footballer of the Year in 1998 and 2000?
Answer: ZINADINE ZIDANE